This week is a relatively short feature because I’ve been away in Harrogate for the History Festival – which incidentally was terrific. I was going to focus on “Roman” covers but as I was looking through possibilities – and yes, I do actually trawl through hundreds of covers! – my critical eye lighted upon a golden oldie of sorts. At the time it came out, it looked different and it had a certain style. Then I thought, to hell with it, the series as a whole is worth a feature this week. You see, I just don’t care, I break the rules almost without trying…

So, this week I am featuring Manda Scott’s Boudica series and this is the first of them.

Why do I like it? Well, it has a style that stands out when compared with the usual Roman images – both at the time and since. Of course, the main reason for that is that the series is not about Rome so much as the Celtic and Romano-Celtic peoples of Britannia. Thus its focus is British and in particular on the spiritual aspects of society.

It’s a somewhat formal style with its gold Celtic borders at top and bottom tying in with the similar circle in the centre. Each book has a different – and appropriate – figure within the circle but the designs and colour palette are the same.

The series of stories is different, ground-breaking even, and it was important that the covers reflected that. As a result, I think the first one deserves a place in the great pantheon of book covers.

REBELS & BROTHERS: The Complete Series

The Wars of the Roses brought to ferocious life!

It is September 1459 and in England the rival forces of York and Lancaster prepare to compete for control of the kingdom. But against the savage backcloth of the Wars of the Roses, another relentless struggle begins. The Elder family are young, flawed and they make mistakes; yet they have courage. They will need every ounce of it if they are to survive…

For the first time this epic conflict is available as a boxed set of e-books allowing the reader to follow the whole compelling story in one edition.

‘It is impossible not to feel invested in the characters – they are flawed and damaged, but trying their best to survive and you find yourself willing them on.’ The Review